Over Ancient Greek and Medicine Manuals
by Maven Alazais
Summary: While investigating a book theft case, Velma gets to have a small adventure and Shaggy's starting to feel a bit weird about it. All in all, they get to find something hidden in them for quite a long time. Shelma, with hints of Daphne&Fred.
1. Chapter 1

*******A/N: Hey all! This is my first Scooby-Doo fanfic ever:) I remember "shipping" Velma and Shaggy ever since I was a little a girl and decided to write a small fanfic on them! It's nothing too fancy but…well. :P Please read and review! I'd be honored to know how you liked it! **

**(Pst, I'm no criminal show writer, I know this is not a thrilling mystery, but it's just to get the plot moving. It's supposed to be a romance fanfic :P )***

**COPYRIGHT INFRIGMENT NOT INTENDED, ALL CHARACTERS BELONG TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS, HANNAH BARBERA AND THE REST. :P**

CHAPTER ONE

Dealing with curious cases of freaks liking to dress up as monsters for a different reason each had been Velma's and her friends' reality for some years now. Riding on their Mystery Machine, traveling around the globe, they always, always, always managed to stumble upon some mystery to solve. Although Velma had never imagined her life to be like this, she was, weirdly, satisfied with the turn of events. She always expected to get a job in a lab and devote her life to research, but there was something very fulfilling in solving all these mysteries, and she had fun with her friends, even though she didn't like to admit it. Somewhere along all this time, she found herself being captivated by their different personalities, and especially a particular one.

Shaggy was fascinating for Velma. Not only because of how amazing his metabolism was- meaning, he could swallow a whole fridge every hour and still not gain a gram of fat-, but because his way of thinking was very different from the rest of them. Many people thought he was a stoner, high on something and Velma and the rest had a very good laugh every time Shaggy was confused for some sort of junkie. But truth is Shaggy had never even seen drugs. He was like that…naturally. A bit aloof, funny, goofy, chilled out and although people thought he was somewhat cowardly, for Velma, he had his own kind of courage. Whenever he and Scooby had to be bait, he never chickened out.

Lately though, Velma was very troubled of Fred's strategies of using baits. She was particularly worried, because she dreaded the day one of the lunatics they were chasing would finally cross the line, and then it'd be too late. Velma had tried repeatedly to tell him, but Freddie's mind was too busy thinking about Daphne's underpants and his meticulous hair-care.

Although Fred's masterpieces of plans usually involved Shaggy and Scooby being bait, this time it was different. They were investigating a very peculiar book thief, at a prestigious University. During the last two weeks, people claim to have seen a hooded creature roaming around the establishment, and rare editions of books have been reported missing. The Mystery team decided to take a look at the case. After watching the building overnight, they spotted the hooded creature and it managed to get away before they could catch it, or at least take a good look at it. They decided they need some information from 'inside', and Freddie said Velma should be the one to do it.

Velma's feelings were confusing. She felt like Fred made the right decision, as she was the one with the most knowledge on books than everyone on the team, but she couldn't help but feel a little bit frightened, thinking she could never really face the hooded creature all by herself. But in the end, she had to do it. Besides, it was just a little visit to the library, only to ask some things. Nothing too scary to start from.

"Okay, how do I look?" She asked, stepping outside the van.

"Like you always do, Velma." Daphne said. "Relax, it's no biggie."

Indeed, it wasn't, Velma tried to tell herself. She was in her usual cinnamon skirt, a safe beige turtleneck who might just compliment her full breast more than she liked, and a pair of brown ballerinas. She fixed her glasses and stepped inside the library, pushing the glass door.

The library was very spacious, filled with heavy wooden bookcases and wooden tables for studying. Many students were there, and it seemed like a very lively University to her. She looked around the walls for a second or two, when she heard someone clear his throat behind her, and she turned around. A tall man around her age stood there, looking at her. He had auburn curly hair, a pair of caramel eyes and wore big rectangular glasses. Velma thought he looked kind of…cute.

"Can I help you?" He asked. "I'm the librarian here."

"Um, I…"

"Firstly, my name's Maxwell. Yours?"

"I'm Velma."

"Welcome to our University, Velma. What brings you here? I haven't seen you around before."

"We are researching the book theft case."

"You and who else?"

"Um, my friends. They're not here now."

"Oh. And what do you want to know about it?"

"Can you tell me which books were taken?"

"I can show you." He said, smiling.

"I'd like that."

"Then follow me, please."

He started to move towards the back side of the library, and Velma was on his six, observing the shelves and the students, reading, chatting and some arguing. She remembered how it was when she was studying and smiled to herself.

Maxwell reached a small wooden door and unlocked it with a set of keys, allowing himself and Velma to enter the semi-lit room.

"Here are the rarest editions of books this University has. Some of them are old, some are not, but precious nonetheless."

"Yes, I figured it had something to do with money. No bookworm that respects himself or herself would steal books from a Uni." She laughed and he grinned at her.

"Come, I'll show where they were taken from."

He took her to some shelves with medicine handbooks from the 18th century, some philosophic text collections, dictionaries and other genres.

"And here's where the last book was taken from." He said, pointing in a gap among other books.

"Ancient Greek and Latin text copies! I must admit, the thief has a rather good taste."

"Yeah, I must agree on that one."

"So, there have been eight books stolen so far."

"Yes."

"Who has access in this section?"

"We keep it locked, of course. I have the keys to it, along with the Principles of the University-although I highly doubt they'd steal from their own library- and certain students. Professors can give some students the permission to use the spare set of keys we have at the Secretariat for studying, but they have to write down what books they take and their names. No books that students have borrowed have been reported missing, though."

"I guess someone could have easily made a copy of that key."

"Yes, I know. I told them they shouldn't be so easy in handing the students permission papers but who listens to a poor librarian, right?"

"I understand you. Can we head back now?"

"Of course. Go ahead and I'll lock up again."

Velma exited the room and went to wait for him in front of his librarian's desk, observing the wall behind it, full of degrees and seminar participation sheets.

"So, is there anything else I can do for you, Velma?"

"No, that's it for today. Thanks for sharing the information with me."

"Don't mention it."

"Bye, then."

She waved awkwardly and pulled the glass door, when Maxwell called up behind her.

"Velma!"

"Yes?"

"Um, I know this is probably sudden but, um, would you like to, um, grab some pizza tonight?"

"What? Me?"

"Well, I'm asking you, aren't I?"

"Oh, um, yes, why not?"

"Great. Should we meet up outside at eight o'clock?"

"Yes, eight's fine."

"See you, then."

"See you."

Velma left the University and went to find the rest of the team.

"So, what did you find out?" Fred asked.

"Eight books have been stolen so far, from the restricted section of the library. The librarian, the principles and some students have access to the room, but anybody could have made copies of the keys. Did you check the security footage?"

"Yes, the lady at the cameras was more than happy to help us out." Fred boasted, flashing them an all-too-confident smile. "They haven't caught a single shot of the man."

"How's that even possible?"

"Raybe re's a rhost!" Scooby rumbled, tugging Shaggy's loose shirt.

"No, it's not a ghost, pal." He said.

"It's for the money." Velma said. "The books are all very rare, they would sell for much in the black market."

"So, did you do anything interesting while in there?" Daphne asked, checking her nails.

"As a matter of fact, I did. The librarian asked me out on a date." She crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her chin up.

"What? A date?"

"Why is it so hard for you to believe it?"

"Oh, no, it's just that you're not the dating type, that is all, sweetheart."

"Well, I said yes, so-"

"You said yes?" Shaggy said, to everyone's surprise. "But isn't he supposed to be a suspect?"

"Relax, Shaggy." Fred replied. "It's a good chance for Velma to find out more about the case."

"Yes, the case, it's always about the case…" Velma said in a low voice, looking down.

"But you must make sure you'll be very persuasive." Fred said, passing his hand over Velma's shoulders. "If you know what I mean…"

Velma slapped his hand off. "I'll be persuasive as I know how, and I don't need your advice on it."

"Okay, Velma. Chill. Why don't we go check around the block for any clues now?"

"RR-clues!" Scooby growled, starting to sniff the ground, and Fred and Shaggy started to follow him.

"I might need your advice, Daphne, though." Velma said.

"On what?"

"I don't know what to wear…"

"Oh, leave that on me!" The red-haired woman said happily, rubbing her hands together. "I have the perfect outfit in mind!"

Velma wasn't sure if asking Daphne was a good idea, after all…

***What do you think? Next chapter will be the date, and some more info on the "Crime". Please please please tell me how you found it! Thanks for reading! ^^***


	2. Chapter 2

***A/N: Thanks so much to everyone who took the time to read and review the previous chapter! I loved all of your feedback, and it really means a lot!**

**Know that I try to be as 'in character' as possible, but it's not easy, so forgive me if I slip anywhere… :P Again, the crime might be a bit boring, but it's a romance story, so... **

**Again, thanks to all of you! I hope you enjoy this chapter. It was a quick update, right? :) ***

CHAPTER TWO

"What's up, Shaggy?" Fred asked, taking a seat next to him on the couch.

Shaggy sighed and put his sandwich down. "Nothing much."

"You, not finishing a sandwich? What is wrong?"

"Don't know, mate. I just… don't know. I feel weird."

"Ate that hot chili sauce again, eh?"

"No, Scoobs finished it all before I could get my hands on it."

"Then what is it?"

"I told you, I don't know. But what are you doing here? You usually take Daphne out whenever we visit a new city."

"Yeah, well, she's kind of busy with Velma right now. You know, preparing her for the…date." Fred wiggled his eyebrows and Shaggy nodded slowly.

Loud voices came from the girls' room, and Daphne pushed a flushed Velma outside.

"Isn't she cute, guys?" Daphne asked them, presenting Velma, who had crossed her arms over her chest.

"This is so not me." Velma whined, blowing a strand of her dark brown hair off her face. Daphne had been going through her whole wardrobe all afternoon, and decided to pick out the shortest black skirt she had, an all-too-exposing white tank top, which Velma didn't even know she had, and a pair of black ballerinas. Plus, she was practically forced to wear lenses instead of her glasses, and she wasn't sure if Daphne got her 'just a little mascara is all I want' instruction when it came to her make-up.

To her utter surprise, she found both the guys looking at her in awe, and she blushed horribly. Being the center of attention because of looks was Daphne's things, not hers, and for one thing, she didn't like it.

"Oh, you'll be very persuasive, Velma." Fred said with a wink and Velma frowned angrily, storming inside the room again. When she came out again, she had a black and white foulard covering her chest area and a black cardigan on as well.

"Much better." She said, and she thought she saw Shaggy nod, but couldn't really put her finger on it.

"Uh, I tried." Daphne said, walking over to Fred.

Velma shook her head and grabbed her purse.

"Have fun!" Fred said.

"Thanks. You too…" Velma opened the hotel room door and left.

_(change of scene, it won't let me use stars or dashes :P)_

"So, this is the place." Maxwell said, pushing the door open for Velma to enter before him.

"Thank you." Velma said, stepping in.

"It's nothing too fancy, but they make great pizzas. You do like pizza, right?"

"Yes, of course." Velma made a mental note of taking some back home, for Shaggy and Scooby.

They got seated at a nice table, with a small vase with two roses, and a little green candle.

"How long will you be staying in town?" Maxwell asked, after they placed their orders.

"Till we crack this theft case. We don't like leaving mysteries unsolved."

"You've solved quite a lot, I presume?"

"Yes, we have."

"So, I shall rest assured you'll solve this one, too?"

"I'd like to think so. I'm starting to gather the pieces of this puzzle."

"Care to tell me about it?"

"I don't want to bore you with it. Let's talk about something else, okay?"

"Of course. Tell me something about yourself, Velma."

"Um… I'm a bookworm and I want to work for NASA one day. What about you?" She grinned widely.

"I'm just an ambitious librarian. I've studied Philosophy and majored in languages, but I've gotten busy with many other things too."

"Any siblings?"

"Um, no, no. I'm an only child. You?"

"I've got a little sister. Well, she's not so little anymore but anyway!"

Maxwell smiled and soon, their pizzas arrived. They started dining properly, and time flew quite quickly.

"I've never met anyone so into books like you!" Maxwell said, finishing off his meal. "It's great to finally have someone to talk to about all the rare editions. Other people just don't understand us, book enthusiasts!"

"You're right. They just can't grasp the true meaning of knowledge, I guess."

"I couldn't have phrased it better myself."

"It has to do with nurture, I believe."

"Nurture?"

"Yes. I was raised in a family who taught me to love books and value them. Other people, raised in families who ignored books cannot understand them. Of course it's also in the personality of each one, but…"

"Oh, if you put it that way, then yes."

"I suppose your parents encouraged you to read as well, right?"

"Oh, my parents… Yeah, sure." He drank some water and stared at his plate.

"Do you like your work at the University, Maxwell?"

"Oh, yes. They pay me enough to get by, I get to study a lot of the books around there and I meet lots of people. It's nice. You know, for as long as you stay here, you can come read any book you want at the library. I'll probably let you borrow one, if you want."

"Really?"

"Some of the perks of being friends with the librarian." He winked at her and Velma smiled.

_(slight change of scene again)_

Shaggy decided that the perfect way to get rid of that peculiar feeling was to walk around town with Scooby. That would help his mind drift away from… what? He couldn't pinpoint what was the source of his uneasiness but he was sure some well-cooked junk food would be the perfect remedy for whatever it was that troubled him.

"What would you like to eat, Scoobs?" He asked, rubbing his best friend's back.

"Ranything!"

"Okay… We'll find some nice anything to eat, then!"

They walked around the stone roads of the town, lit by some old lampposts. Shaggy took a turn left and spotted a bright neon sign saying 'Pepe's Homemade Pizza'. He licked his lips.

"See that? How about some pizza?"

Scooby Doo howled in excitement and started running towards the shop. Shaggy caught up with him and pushed the door open. A subtle 'ding' sound came from a bell above the door. The place was small, but cozy, with several people seated around. Shaggy inhaled and the warm smell of pizza dough and tomato sauce filled his nostrils. He scanned the place for a table, when his eye caught the very familiar sight of Velma, sitting with a curly-haired guy and he momentarily froze.

What got over Shaggy was something very hard for him to describe. He felt a bit sad, for a reason he couldn't quite understand, then protective, then slightly hurt, then weirdly angry, then a bit frightened. He knew he wanted to go and talk to her, but he didn't want to interrupt her, especially when she seemed to have a fun time with the guy. Then again… he felt like he needed to go there and just-

Scooby tugged on his shirt and he burst out of his thought bubble.

"Rets reat!" He growled and Shaggy tried to tell him that they should probably leave, when he heard Velma's voice.

"Hey, guys!" She said, waving at them.

Scooby wiggled his tail and Shaggy waved back, smiling and hoping he didn't appear as goofy as he felt.

"Come join us!" Velma said, pointing at their table and the guy she was sitting with turned his head down and looked at his plate, uninterested.

What got him out of that awkward situation was a phone call, from Fred.

"Hey, Freddie."

"_The hooded thief strikes again! We spotted him running near the University! Come here now!"_

"Okay!" He put his cell phone in his pocket again and the first thing he did was to run to Velma's table and grab her by the hand.

"The thief's here!" He told her, a bit louder than he wanted.

"Shaggy! I can't leave, I haven't paid yet!"

"I'll take care of it." Maxwell said, grinning at her. "You go find that thief."

"Thank you so much!"

Before she could hear his reply, she found herself running on the stone street, with Shaggy still grabbing her by the hand, and Scooby following happily, with his tongue hanging out.

"Where are we going?" She shouted, between breaths.

"To the University!" Shaggy replied. "We're close now!"

Scooby Doo barked in excitement and Velma frowned. The black flats she wore were really not made for running, especially in streets like these.

Shaggy took a sharp turn left, and Velma almost hit the wall of the house on the corner, reminding herself to scold him afterwards. The University was now in sight, and Velma could clearly see Fred and Daphne chasing someone on the other side of the block. Shaggy continued to pull her along, but she broke free.

"Come on, Velma!" Shaggy said, pointing to the others' direction.

"You go, I'll catch you up from the other side!"

Shaggy nodded and kept running, with Scooby on his six. She turned around quickly and ran in the opposite direction, hoping to catch the thief when he'd turn around the block. Her thinking was a little too wishful though, because as she took the turn, she didn't catch the thief, but he bumped into her, and they fell down clumsily. She hit the cold ground and he landed just on top of her. She quickly tried to push him off, but all she ended up doing was struggling to grab something from the thief. She gave him a strong kick right in the chest, and he stumbled back again, letting go of whatever she was trying so hard to keep. As he fell back, his hood slid a little and although Velma's eyesight was fine due to her lenses, she could only see little, as the light from the lamppost was too faint. The thief got up and started running again. Velma couldn't run after him, her legs wouldn't permit that.

She crawled underneath the lamppost and breathed sharply. Soon, Fred was coming her way.

"Velma! Velma! Are you okay?"

"Of course I'm okay!"

"Your clothes are all dirty, though…" Daphne commented, appearing behind him.

"Get out of the way!" Shaggy shouted, pushing them aside and kneeling down. "Are you okay, Velma?"

"Yes, I said I'm okay!"

"What happened?"

"I bumped on the thief and we fell down and then we fought a bit and then he ran again and…" She inhaled deeply. "I got this though." She stroked the cover of the old book she grabbed from the thief. "It was what he stole tonight. A great copy of Themistocles' History, with a leather cover."

"We'll return it to the University tomorrow." Fred said, helping her get up. "This won't happen again. He won't steal again. We'll stop him."

"Damn sure we will…" Shaggy said, dusting his pants.

Velma had a deep frown on her face all the way back to the hotel. Something about the thief's appearance troubled hair, and she was finally adding more pieces to her puzzle.

***A/N: This was the second chapter! ^^ I hope you realized that what Shaggy felt was the sting of jealousy! Please tell me how you found it, I'd vastly appreciate it! And I'm sorry for any possible inaccuracies in Velma's backstory, okay? :P And sorry for any typos I didn't see or anything :) I'll try to update soon again!***


	3. Chapter 3

***A/N: Hello everyone! I hope I'm updating soon enough for you guys!**

**I'd like to thank enormously much all those who reviewed this fic, your reviews make me squeal like a little girl! (that's how happy I get :P)**

**To a guest reviewer that I can't reply personally with a PM, I'm not British, neither American (not from an English speaking country at all, actually), and I really appreciated your comment. No "mates" from now on, just "man"! :D**

**Please do not hesitate to send in any constructive criticism, I'd very much like to read what you have to say!:)**

**And, in the previous chapter, I meant to say Thucydides' History, not Themistocles'. Oops. And I made a very silly typo in the end. Obviously it's supposed to be 'her' and not 'hair'. (Thanks to VerMa for pointing that one out^^)**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!***

Velma had an uneasy night, dreaming about falling on cold stone streets and chasing around an empty cloak. When she woke up, Daphne was already out of bed, and judging from the sounds, so were the boys. She opened the cabinet and took out a simple outfit. As she was removing her pajama top, she noticed a nasty bruise 'decorating' her back.

"Great." She mumbled to herself, slipping into a comfortable sweater and a pencil skirt. Yawning, she exited the room and saw Daphne sitting on Fred's lap on the couch, reading a magazine, probably gossip, while he was trying to catch a glimpse of the television. Shaggy was at the kitchen corner, preparing breakfast and Scooby was sitting at the kitchen table.

"Good morning, Vee." Fred greeted, waving. "Slept well?"

"Yes. Why are you suddenly interested in my sleeping habits?" Velma decided to keep her troubled night to herself.

"Well, you're usually awake before any of us and today you overslept a bit so…"

"Hm."

Velma slowly walked to the kitchen corner, stroking Scooby and sitting down.

"Hey, Velma!" Shaggy greeted in his usual happy manor. "I'm making pancakes. You like pancakes, right?"

"Yes, I do."

"How many do you want, then?"

"Two will be fine."

"Okay. Two for you, three for Fred, half for Daphne, a dozen for me, and a dozen for Scoobs as well. Oh, I've got work to do!" He said, continuing to cook.

"So, how was it last night?" Daphne asked, joining them in the kitchen.

"It was alright, I guess."

"Spice it up, Velma! How was the guy?"

"He's nice and kind."

"Boy, are you boring…"

"Come on, Daphne, what do you want me to say?"

"Yes, Daphne, like, what do you want her to say?" Shaggy said, frying the pancakes, gaining a weird look from the redhead.

"I want her to give me the details! What did he say, how did he look at you, what did he ask you…"

"We talked about our careers and goals, about our families, the town, the university, and about books of course."

"What did I expect?" Daphne mumbled, mostly to herself, but Velma frowned. "Did he at least kiss you?"

Shaggy found himself tense when he heard her question, and clenched the spoon he was holding tightly in his fist. He stopped stirring the pancake paste and waited anxiously for a reply.

"No!" Velma said, placing her palms on the table. "We didn't even get to finish the date with the thief thing, and I highly doubt it would end up in a kiss either way. I don't think it was that kind of date, and I don't really want it to be."

Shaggy felt immensely relieved and immediately frowned, trying to understand what had gotten into him for the past few days. He turned his head around a bit, just to watch them chitchat. Daphne was attractive alright, but all his eyes seemed to notice was how shapely Velma's legs were, how her hair matched her skin tone perfectly, or how gracefully she pushed her glasses back on the top of her nose. His sigh must have been a little bit too loud than he realized, because both of the girls looked at him questioningly. He swiftly turned around again and felt his cheeks burn, mentally blaming it on the frying pancakes, although he knew it wasn't true.

"So, what's on the schedule today?" He asked, serving the pancakes on the table and calling Fred. He took a seat next to Scooby Doo and prepared his knife and fork.

"I should probably return the book I got to the library…" Velma said. "I also want to see the restricted section again."

"Scoob and I will join you, right, Scooby?" Shaggy asked, turning to his pal, only to find him munching hungrily on his pancakes.

"It's okay, Shaggy, you don't have to come with me."

"If you don't want us with you, just say so."

"Of course not, Shaggy!" She said, holding his wrist. "You're welcome to join me, but I thought you might have something more interesting to do."

"No, not really." He said, chewing a large piece of pancake, covered in caramel syrup.

"Hey, Fred, can you do something for me today?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"I want you to go find Mr. Orwell at the University. He is one of the principles, but I heard some students say he's very naïve and gullible, so he might just give us some information about the case."

"Is there something in particular you got in mind?"

"Well, I'd like for you to ask him about the studying programs and courses, and what he thinks of the other Principles."

"Think he'll tell us?"

"I think he will. In case he doesn't, why don't you tell Daphne to be a bit… persuasive?" Velma said, arching an eyebrow, and Fred looked around awkwardly.

"We'll get the info, don't worry." Daphne said, finishing her half pancake. "You just go do your thing with the books."

X

"I'm afraid dogs aren't allowed in the library…" Velma said, seeing the sign on the glass door.

Scooby pouted and sat down next to the door.

"Don't worry, Scoob, I'll stay with you." Shaggy said, but Scooby shook his head, pushing his friend towards the door.

"What are you doing, pal?"

"Rou rhave to rgo rinside with Relma!"

"No, I will stay with you, it's okay."

Scooby just gave him a good last push and next thing he knew, Shaggy was stepping inside the library with Velma.

It was a long time since he last was in a library, especially one big like this.

"This library's, like, huge!" He said and Velma nodded in agreement.

"Come, we'll return the book and then we can look around a bit."

"Yeah, okay."

The librarian's desk was just some steps away from the door, and Shaggy could see the guy sitting there, probably reading something.

"Good morning." Velma said, once they were there. Maxwell slowly lifted his eyes from his book and smiled.

"Good morning! You just can't keep yourself away from here, can you?" He asked, laughing, and making Shaggy frown.

"I needed to return this to you." She replied, taking the old book out of her bag and placing it on the counter.

"What's this? It can't be…"

"It's the one the thief took yesterday."

"How did you get it?"

"Yeah, I kind of bumped into him and, long story short, I ended up with this."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm perfectly fine, thank you."

"Great! Thank you, on behalf of the University for rescuing our book, then."

"It's no big deal. And here's my share of the dinner." She said, placing some dollars on the counter again.

"Oh, no, I can't take them, it was a date, I'd pay either way."

"I'd rather my pay for my meal myself, if you don't mind." She gave him a serious look and he took her bills.

"What else can I do for you, then?"

"We want to see the rare books' section." Shaggy said.

"Very well." Maxwell grabbed his keys and led them to the back of the library, unlocking the narrow door. "I'd love to join you, but I have some library business to take care of, so I'll have to leave you here, okay?"

"Yes, okay."

"Please be very careful with the books." He warned, looking at Shaggy.

"We know how to, like, read a book, man. Now go."

Maxwell shoved the keys into his pocket, closed the door behind him and went to his desk again.

"So, what are we looking for?" Shaggy asked, looking curiously around the small room.

"I'm not really sure…" Velma said, rubbing her chin and observing the bookcases.

"All the books that were stolen are from this part of the library?"

"Yes."

"Maybe we should, like, make a list of the stolen books or something."

"They already have one but… you just gave me a good idea, Shaggy. Thanks."

"I did? You're welcome."

"There are twelve bookcases in this section, labeled from A to L, thematically organized." Velma took a small notebook placed in a wooden table near the door. "I'll go check book case A, you check B."

"What am I supposed to look for?"

"The places of the missing books. Each time you notice a book missing from the shelf, shout their position to me. They're supposed be numbered as well, with small numbers underneath them on the shelves. Go."

Shaggy nodded and stood in front of the second bookcase, roaming the shelves. "There's one missing from position… B 134."

Velma checked the small notebook she held. "It's borrowed by a student. Check for others."

"B2 is missing too."

"B2. Okay. Are these all?"

"Yeah."

"Let's go check the rest of them."

A quarter passed quickly, and they soon had checked all the bookcases. Velma took a seat at a studying booth at the corner of the room, and Shaggy sat next to her.

"So, what did we come up with?"

"A very clear pattern. Take a look at this." She left a paper in front of him, with book positions written on it.

"Yeah, what am I seeing?"

"The positions go like this: A1, B2, C3, D4… The last book he tried to steal was J10."

"Oh, now I see it. But why is he following that pattern?"

"I don't know. I'm guessing he doesn't have specific books he wants to steal, because the pattern is stupid. There's not even a thematic consistency in his steals, so I'm guessing he's not into reading that much."

"Maybe there's, like, another reason for him to use that pattern. He's clever, like, he's gotten away from all the security guards and not a single camera has ever caught him."

"I'm thinking he messed with the cameras, that's why he's not caught on tape yet."

"Still."

"Wait just a moment, you might be right, after all!" Velma said, having an epiphany. She quickly took out her cell phone and opened a photo she had taken with it. "Here's the list of the book titles reported missing. And…" She shot up and started roaming around, visiting the bookcases again, looking outside through the door's glass, and pausing to think. "And if I remember correctly…" She mumbled and sat back again, scribbling something on a piece of paper. "Yes, yes, this is it!" She exclaimed, folding the paper and putting it in her bag.

"You cracked the case?" Shaggy asked.

"Not yet, but I'm very close."

"Good thing you're on the team…"

"Oh, stop it you!"

Shaggy smiled and laid back on his chair. "So, what should we, like, do now?"

"There are some very nice books around here. Maxwell said we could read anything."

"I don't remember him saying that."

"He told me so yesterday." She got up and took a thin brown book in her hands. "Find something to read, there are plenty of books here."

Velma sat down, while he got up and searched the nearest bookcase. He picked the thickest book he could find and sat with her again. Velma gave him a good look, arching an eyebrow.

"What is it? Can't a guy, like, do some light reading?"

Velma burst out laughing and Shaggy freaked out, thinking he really embarrassed himself. Velma stopped laughing and looked at him. "Damn, Shaggy, you really know what to say to crack me up every time…"

"What? I meant it!"

Velma contained a laugh. "Light reading? With a collection of Ancient Greek epic stories and theatric tragedies?"

"Why not? I'm very into Arts, myself."

"From the prototype?"

Shaggy opened the book he chose randomly and realized it all seemed Greek to him, probably because they were.

"What are you trying to achieve, anyway?" Velma asked.

"I don't know. You just seem so into books, so I thought maybe I could, like, gain some common interests with you?"

"Aw, that's very sweet, Shaggy!" She said smiling. "But we don't need shared interests like these. Don't we have a good time together as it is?"

"Yeah, I guess…" He placed his elbows on the desk and turned his look down. "You just seem to be so very, like, inspired by books and libraries and …stuff." _And the librarian, _Shaggy thought, and he started to feel like he did when he entered the pizza place, not many hours ago.

"I'm inspired by many things. Books, movies, nature, my friends, you…"

"M-Me?"

"Why, you're very interesting."

"Me, interesting!" Shaggy echoed, grinning goofily. "I'm interesting!"

"Of course you are. I always thought you were interesting, ever since we met." Velma confessed, hoping she didn't blush. Something about the way he acted today made her stomach feel uneasy, but not in an 'I'm sick' way. Something different, that Velma found herself enjoying a little bit too much than she wanted to admit.

"I think you're, like, interesting too."

"Hm, thank you."

"And I think you look pretty today."

Velma's eyebrows shot up. "Pretty? I was kind of pretty yesterday, but… today?"

"No, you look good today too and, like, every other day you look good as well and… no, I mean, that, I-I…" Shaggy struggled to put his thoughts into words, but scolded himself for appearing like such a fool to her.

Velma laughed and got up. "It's okay, Shaggy. Thanks again."

"Where are you going?"

"To get you something to read. I think I saw something you'd like over here…" She scooped down to search the lower shelves.

Shaggy soon noticed that her skirt was slightly drawn back, as she was tucked down, and his eyes were pinned on her exposed thigh, her well-shaped calf, and moving up, to her full breast and arching back. He swallowed, finding it extremely hard to focus his eyesight on anything else but her.

Velma shot up, having found the book, and Shaggy pretend to have been looking at the bookcase, although he was pretty certain she knew he wasn't.

"There you go." She said, throwing the light book on top of the heavy tome he had picked before.

"What is this?"

"A small book with Ancient Greek recipes. It's translated, so you won't have a problem with it." She looked at him with the corner of her eye, half-smiling.

"This library's starting to get a bit more exciting, now!" Shaggy said, opening the book.

"You should definitely try the 'Melanas Zomos'."

"Melanas Zomos?" Shaggy said, searching for it in the contents, and turning to the page. He took a quick look at the suggested ingredients. "Oh, no. I'm not falling for it again! This is the thing ancient Spartans used to eat to grow strong, but it was the nastiest food ever prepared on this planet!"

"Bummer! I wanted to see the look on yours and Scooby's faces when you'd try it!" She smiled widely.

"Why are you so, like, evil?" He smiled back, and subconsciously leant towards her.

"I'm not evil, I wouldn't poison you."

"We'll see about that…"

"I must say, though, I'm impressed with your knowledge on Spartan habits."

"I know my food facts, Velma."

"Of course you do. So, what do you say? Should we go find Fred and Daphne now?"

"Yeah. Scooby's probably, like, bored out of his brain now too." He stood up.

"Take the recipe book. We can borrow it and cook something for lunch."

"Isn't this a Uni library, though?"

"Maxwell said he'd make an exception."

"Oh, Maxwell, sure."

Velma gave him a good look, gathered her notes and her book and the two of them left to find Fred and Daphne.

X

"Did you find the principle?" Velma asked, sitting on the square's bench.

"Yes. And he was more than happy to talk with us." Fred replied, handing her a bag full of brochures.

"What are these?"

"Flyers about the University's courses and programs, like you asked."

"Oh, lord…"

"My thoughts exactly."

"And what did he tell you about the other principles?"

"Nothing, really." Daphne said, sitting next to Velma. "He said they all get along perfectly, there are many students enrolling now and the profits are very good."

"Okay. That's fine. Thanks."

"Oh, you're welcome. We had a lot of fun chatting with that man."

"He was nuts!" Fred said. "Crazy! But he bought us coffee and all kinds of sweets, so it was alright."

Velma smiled. "So you had a good time."

"All in all, yeah." Daphne replied. "Did you?"

"Of course. I also believe I'm very close to fully solving this mystery."

"So we should catch the thief now, uh?" Fred asked, with a wide grin on his face.

"We could do that."

"Great, I have the perfect trap in mind!"

"I think we should talk about that a bit more…" Velma said, frowning.

A happy bark made them all turn to look at the grocery shop from across the street, where Shaggy was coming out of it, with two extremely large paper bags in his arms, and a small book in his left hand.

"What are all these?" Daphne asked when they approached.

"Rour rfood!" Scooby said and Shaggy nodded.

"These are the essential ingredients for our Greek lunch."

"Greek lunch?" Fred asked.

"Yes, I'm cooking for you today."

"So, which ones are you doing?" Velma asked, starting to walk with him towards their hotel.

He handed her the book. "Check pages twelve, nineteen, forty seven and fifty four. Let's just say I'm extremely lucky they had lamb chops available."

"Think Shaggy had an exciting day at the library?" Daphne asked Fred, watching her friends walk away, and cocking an eyebrow.

"You can't possibly mean…" Fred began to say and looked at her.

"I didn't say anything." Daphne shrugged. "You implied it."

Fred rubbed his chin and folded his arms. "It could work."

"Possibly." Daphne replied, taking him by the hand and they started walking back to the hotel. They had a Greek feast to attend.

***So… that was it ^^ Hope it was okay :D**

**I think there will be another chapter to finish this story, and maybe an epilogue. Would you like to see an epilogue with them some years later or should I leave it there? Opinions? :P**

**Thanks to everyone who reviews, and favorites/follows. *big hug***

**I apologize for any typos I didn't notice!***


	4. Chapter 4

***A/N: So… here's chapter four, where the truth is finally revealed! (dramatic music in the background)**

**Yes, I know it was probably a stupid crime but anyway!**

**Thanks a lot to everyone who has read this far, and a bigger 'thanks' to those who took some seconds to write me a review, even the smallest 'liked it', who I very much appreciated!**

**Also note that I believe that Scooby would be very supportive of Shaggy, 'cause they're best pals, so…**

**Again, please tell me how you found it!**

**Maven Alazais***

CHAPTER FOUR

"Remind me why we're locked up in this stupid hotel again?" Daphne whined, channel-hopping.

"Because we need the thief to start stealing again. He knows we're after him, so we have to pretend like we're gone. Don't make me go over it again, please." Fred replied, drawing something in a sketchpad.

"Good thing the hotel has an underground parking lot, because, let's face it, the Mystery Machine is not exactly low-profile." Velma said.

"And good thing the hotel's restaurant is amazing, 'cause we'd be starving to death." Fred said. "You told that librarian that you were leaving, right?"

"Yes, don't worry about it."

"But I want to go out! I've brought so many cute outfits with me, but only gotten to wear four of them!" Daphne insisted.

"Okay, how about I take you for a walk around the pool and the hotel gardens after I'm done with the trap?" Fred proposed.

"Fine…" She said, continuing to channel-hop lazily.

"It's a masterpiece!" Fred exclaimed, showing off his design. It was a complicated net of notes, building sketches, arrows and Xs to indicate positions. "It's very simple. So. Shaggy's supposed to be h-"

"Freddie, we need to have a word about this plan." Velma interrupted.

"What do you mean? It's perfect."

"It's not going to work."

"Of course it's going to work! It always does. My traps are flawless."

"No, we'll do it my way this time. I know how to catch him. Listen to me; this is what you should do." She leaned over him, grabbed the pen off his hand and drew a new plan.

Daphne growled in frustration and threw the remote on the couch.

Meanwhile at their room's balcony, Scooby Doo and Shaggy were relaxing on their bamboo sunbeds, with a soda can in hand. Shaggy looked at the sunset and the plethora of colors of the sky and let a sigh escape his lips.

"Rwhat ras rthat?" Scooby asked.

"What?"

"Rwhy did ryou sigh?"

"You know, buddy, like, the sky was so, like, nice and I just felt…"

"Raggy…"

"What is it, Scoobs?"

"RI think rou rhave a rcrush!"

"Me? A crush? Ppft! Like, how could I…" His voice faded when he finally got to think about his behavior during the last few days and the fact that he was, indeed, just thinking about a certain brown-haired woman. "Oh, no!" He said, sitting up. "Like, Scoob! I have a…crush?"

"Ryes!" Scooby answered, wiggling his tail and barking.

"Scoob! This is, like, serious!" Shaggy put his soda down and supported his head with his hands. "What am I gonna do?"

"RTell rer!"

"No way! I can't, like, go tell her!"

"RI can rgo rtell rer!"

"No! Besides, she doesn't, like, like me."

"Rou rdon't know rthat!"

"Come on, Scoob, what chances do I, like, have?" Shaggy stood up and looked at his friends through the glass. "Like, look at her, sitting by Fred." He frowned angrily, acknowledging the fact that he was getting jealous. "Fred, like, always gets the girls."

Scooby giggled and nudged his friend.

"It's not funny, Scoob!"

"Rou really rlike rer!"

"Shhhh!" Shaggy said, pushing Scooby back to his sunbed, and sitting as well. "She might hear you!"

That moment, Velma slid the balcony door open and put her head out. Shaggy could swear he looked as red as the sun setting beneath the horizon.

"Hey guys!" She said.

"Rhi, Relma!"

"Hey…"

"Fred and Daphne left for a walk, so I was wondering if you'd like to do something."

Scooby happily went inside and Shaggy hesitantly stood up.

"Come on, Shaggy. I don't bite…" Velma said, arching an eyebrow.

"I, like, know that."

"Then come inside."

Shaggy followed her in the sitting room.

"What should we, like, do?"

"We could play some video games."

"Video games? I didn't know you liked video games!"

"I haven't tried them before, but I thought that if you're willing to try ancient Greek tragedies to gain some shared interests with me, I might as well try your video games out." She gave him a warm smile. "How bad could it be?"

Shaggy saw Scooby laughing silently and grinned back. "Like, thanks, Velma."

"Don't mention it! What should we play then?" She asked, taking a seat on the couch.

Shaggy handed her a controller, and grabbed the second one, turning the console on and sitting next to her. "It's a racing game, for starters. Pick a color for your car."

"I'll take the red one."

"Okay. I'll have the blue. We'll be, like, racing against each other. You move your car with these buttons here, and with this little one you, like, fire little missiles to your opponents."

"I got it."

"Then we'll start right away!"

Scooby jumped on the couch, pushing Velma towards Shaggy, till their hands touched. Shaggy looked at him and Scooby grinned nodding.

"What are you waiting for?" Velma asked.

"Nothing…"

He pressed the right button and their evening began to get fun.

X

"Are you sure he'll come today, Velma?" Fred asked, pulling the van at the side of the dark road, with the lights turned off.

"I'm pretty sure, yes."

"It's a nice plan." Daphne said. "Involves no running. I like it."

"Thanks, Daphne."

"Okay, I should be going now, I think." Velma said.

"Velma, like, be careful…" Shaggy said.

"Aw, don't worry, Shaggy, I'll be. Fred and Daphne will be in the backyard and you and Scooby will be right next to the house. I know I'll be safe." She closed the door smiling at him.

Shaggy folded his arms and frowned. Fred and Daphne gave him a good look, half-smiling.

"What?" He said, huffing.

"Oh, nothing…" Daphne said, winking, and Shaggy knew that it wasn't, of course, nothing.

Velma walked the several meters separating the van from the house and stood on its threshold. She hastily fixed her hair, straightened her blouse and knocked on the door.

"Who's there?" She heard the man call from inside.

"It's me, Velma."

"Velma?" Maxwell asked in surprise, opening the door. "What are you doing here? I thought you left."

"I need to give you something." She said, inviting herself in. "I hope I'm not disturbing anything." His house wasn't too big, but it was comfortable for one person to live in.

"Um, no, no. What did you want to give me?"

She opened her purse and took out the two books. "I can't believe I left without returning these! I'm just so forgetful sometimes!"

"Oh, thanks. Did you enjoy them?"

Velma sat on the small blue couch. "Yes. I've always been interested in Egyptian medicine practices. And my friend really enjoyed the recipes."

"Are your friends here with you?" He asked, sitting as well.

"No, I came alone. I didn't want to drag them all back just to return two books."

"Oh, okay. I'm quite disappointed that you didn't solve the mystery, to be honest with you, Velma."

"Who said that I didn't solve it?"

"But you left."

"So? I know exactly who did it." She gave him a meaningful look and he swallowed.

"R-Really?"

"Yes. And that's why I, in a way, came back. Because, well, I want some answers."

"I'll help you as much as I can, if you, um, tell me what you know."

"Okay, let's not hide behind our fingers, Maxwell. I know you helped the thief, as I also know that he is your brother, and in fact, your twin brother."

Maxwell lost his color and swept his forehead. "H-How…"

"Well, when I asked you if you had any siblings, you said no, but didn't look me in the eyes, which made me doubt your honesty. The same night, as you know, I bumped into the thief, and his hood slid off his head. I couldn't really see his face, but his hair was perfectly visible. You know, you really do have signature hair. Bright red ringlets, it's not every day you see these."

"Y-You need to understand, Velma. I, I…"

"Well, that's what I'm here for. To understand. I'm guessing there are some family issues behind all these."

Maxwell nodded. "You're too smart for your own good, you know that?"

"I've been told."

"Here's how it is. I grew up in a perfect American cowboy family."

"I figured that a bit too, from your accent."

"I thought I got rid of it…"

"Well, no, not really."

Maxwell sighed. "My brother, little Jeremy, was the pride and joy of the family. My father characteristically said he could ride a horse before he could walk. He won I don't even know how many rodeos and had a certain talent in herding the cattle. Me, on the other hand, all I knew how to do was to get straight A's and win my spelling bees. I didn't like horses, I didn't like to ride for hours under the burning sun, I didn't like trying to tame a bull. For my father, I was betraying my family's heritage!" He laughed. "My mother kind of understood me, but didn't speak up to my father, whose only concern was to boast about Jeremy. Long story short, when I finished high school, I got accepted into college, used all the money I've gathered throughout the years and left. Of course I didn't tell them where I went, and I didn't want them to know."

"Didn't they try to contact you?"

"My mom once did, but I told her not to worry about me and that was pretty much it."

"So, what happened?"

Maxwell furrowed his eyebrows in anger. "That idiot of a brother I have found me some weeks ago. He said he was running short on money, and he owed some bad people several grand. I didn't care about his debts, really, and I told him I didn't have any money to lend him, which is true. My paycheck's not big, and I have to support myself and my studies."

"Did he threaten you?"

"In a way. He told me he'd tell my parents where I am-my worst nightmare, really- and he'd try anything to get me into trouble. I couldn't jeopardize my position now, so I said I'd help him. And the jerk also stayed here, and he is like a pig!"

"Calm down, Maxwell."

He exhaled deeply. "And so I helped him with the books."

"No, you didn't just help him with the books. You made sure the security cameras didn't work."

"Again, how do you know?!"

"I noticed you have a Security Technology seminar participation sheet over your wall at the library, along with several other Engineering seminars, and with a little help from the Internet, everything's possible. You also gave him the keys, and after that, everything was a piece of cake."

"Jeremy has been stealing for many years now. My parents pretended they didn't know, but they just covered him up. Breaking into the University was easy for him. Afterwards he went to the library and yes, I gave him the keys so he wouldn't need to break any doors or anything…"

"And why is he following this pattern?"

"What pattern?"

"Come on, now. You know what pattern I'm talking about."

"I don't know. He's stupid, he probably thought he wouldn't be caught this way, I don't know."

"Help me out a bit, because you're still lying to me, and I want to get to the bottom of this."

"What? I'm not lying!"

"Of course you are! You expect me to believe that he threatened you to tell your parents –even if that's not stupid enough- and you simply decided to let him steal precious books, without even reporting it to the police or something? No. And he couldn't have blackmailed you into something considering the University, because there are no courses concerning employees, I checked them all. His idea of stealing the books was beneficial to you, and that's why you helped him. Or maybe he found out about your steal. "

"My what? Steal? Are you insane? I'd nev-"

"The first three book thefts were reported all together, because it hadn't been noticed that books were missing up until then. You had stolen one of them, a long time ago. The book in position B2. It was exactly what you needed for your degree and I'm guessing you liked it so much, you wanted to make it yours and only yours."

"Velma, you of all people should understand! I've never held something as magnificent as that book! Its pages, its content, its cover! And the silly students at the University cannot acknowledge its importance. I've seen it been terribly misused and, well, what else could I do than protect it? I've been keeping it like a treasure, you need to trust me."

"I believe you, because I know how much you love books. But how could you trust your brother with the rest of them?"

"He assured me he would sell them to collectors, who know books and keep them nicely."

"How much each?"

"He told me the prices went from half grand to five. All he needed for his debt was about eleven books and, what could I do? He found out my book and when I told him about its position, he acted like he was a genius and found the solution to all of our problems. He said we could do the A1, B2, C3 pattern and cover up my theft with the rest. He acted like my savior. The idiot. I was fine before he came along!"

"Has he sold the books yet?"

"No. He's keeping them to start bargaining when he has them all."

"Then you can return them and everything will be okay, Maxwell."

"Oh, no, Velma. We can't go back now."

"Is there anything I can say to convince you? It's the right thing to do."

He shook his head negatively. "We will leave. I will find books I want to keep and he will steal some others. We'll make a nice living out of it and I won't be an underpaid, miserable librarian anymore. I said I'll help him with it, and if I don't, he will hurt me, and I certainly want to live my life."

"Maxwell, please…"

"Velma, you can come with me." He took her hands in his. "You need to believe me, I like you. Ever since you walked through the library door, I knew you'd be somebody who understood me. We can have the biggest library of our own, filled with the greatest books of all time. Jeremy will give us a percentage of his sells, which will be more than enough to live comfortably! What do you say?"

Velma withdrew his hands. "Oh, Max! That was a bit quick, don't you think? I can't run away with you to live the life of a thief! God no!"

"You'll live the life of a book lover! Please, Velma, I like you very much to let you go like this now that you know!"

Velma stood up, her eyebrows shooting up. "Well, I'm sorry, but I, I… I like someone else and I can't come with you, for a million reasons."

"Then you leave me no choice…" He said, and the next thing Velma knew, he had his hand over her mouth and was dragging her to the couch. She struggled to break free but it was pointless. In a minute, her mouth was muted and her hands and legs were tied up.

Velma growled and fought with the ropes but was unlucky.

"Please, calm down, Velma. I will untie you, once we're out of town. You'll come with us, and you'll like it soon, you'll see."

Velma shook her head and tried to kick but, again, was unsuccessful. That moment, the front door opened, and a man in a thick cloak entered. He threw the cloak on the floor and Velma had a chance to finally look at him. He was exactly like Maxwell, only a lot bulkier.

"Who's this? Are ya goin' ta kill 'er?" He said, in a heavy southern accent.

"No, she's coming with us. She knows everything."

"You told 'er?" He said, approaching Maxwell menacingly.

"No! She just found out by herself!"

"Oh, so we got a smarty-pants in our hands, ay?" He said, squeezing Velma's cheeks with his hand. Velma was disgusted by him and looked at Maxwell with hate. He looked at her sadly and then turned his gaze away. "Might act'lly be helpful."

Velma looked at the clock on the wall. It was time for the second part of the plan, but didn't involve her being all tied up. She remained calm and swallowed.

A bark sounded outside and Velma heard Shaggy's deepened voice from outside the door.

"_Maxwell Parker, Meroville Police. Open up!"_

For a mere fragment of a second, she was thankful to have her mouth covered, because she would have been laughing right now.

"Who called the cops?" Jeremy shouted and turned to Velma, who shook her head furiously. "We're leavin', Max! Grab the bags!"

Maxwell ran inside a room and came out with a backpack over his shoulders. Jeremy grabbed a backpack placed next to couch and lifted Velma as if she was light as a feather. He hung her over his shoulder and Velma struggled to break free, but his tight grip kept her pinned there.

"_Maxwell Parker, we'll break in! Open up!"_

"From the back door!" Jeremy said, opening the kitchen door, and pushed Maxwell outside. Maxwell descended the stairs quickly and Jeremy followed, passing in front of Maxwell. Fred had climbed up the rooftop and was ready to throw a net over them, when he saw Velma. Velma nodded at him to proceed, but when Fred finally caught up, the net only caught Maxwell, who fell to the ground.

"What's this?" Jeremy shouted. "Ya little scum!" He said, shaking Velma. "Ya'll see when I'm done wit' ya!" He kept running when Daphne jumped in front of him. Velma shook her head furiously, trying to get her to move out of the way, but Daphne just stood there, ready to fight.

Jeremy laughed loudly. "Such a purty lil' gurl, what are ya doin' here? You wanna fight me?"

"Let her go." Daphne said, with a stable voice.

"Her? No. But don't worry, I can carry both of ya!" He laughed again and tried to grab Daphne, but she easily dodged him. Velma heard a loud 'crack' and realized Daphne had kicked him in the jaw. "Damn ya!" He cursed and tried to slap her, but Daphne was too quick. She jumped behind him and Velma closed her eyes, as Daphne's foot came right next to her, landing a strategic kick on the back of his neck, straight on the base of his head.

Jeremy fell on the ground, and so did Velma with him, and, as always, her glasses jumped away. She recognized Fred come running and he jumped on Jeremy, pinning his hands down.

"Okay, I got him!" He announced, and Daphne tried to pull Velma from under him. She felt Scooby bite the back of her turtleneck and try to pull her as well. A pair of hands slid underneath her, and soon she was released. Daphne removed the cloth from her mouth and her hands and legs were free.

"My glasses!" She called. "I can't see without my glasses!"

Someone slid the glasses over her nose and she could finally see again. Before she could grasp what she was seeing exactly, she felt a pair of long hands hug her tightly. She inhaled the familiar smell and smiled.

"Velma!" Shaggy exclaimed. "Are you, like okay?"

"Yes, Shaggy, I'm alright."

"Did they hurt you?"

"No, I'm fine, really."

Shaggy kneeled in front of her, letting her go of his grasp, and pinned his eyes on her face. "I was, like, worried sick about you!"

Before Velma could reply, two police officers came, arresting Jeremy, and bringing Maxwell along. He was already in cuffs, looking miserable.

"Why, Velma? Why?" He asked.

"Because that's what we do. Catch the bad guys."

"I'm not a bad guy…"

"Let the judges decide that." Daphne said. Maxwell just kept staring at Velma. She frowned.

Shaggy helped her up and she opened her purse, taking out a small device. She handed it to one of the officers.

"Here's his confession. Everything's on that tape."

"And to think we could have had everything!" He went on.

"Excuse you? I already have everything I want. I just hope the prison library's enough for you." She gave him a mischievous smile and returned next to her friends.

The officers picked Jeremy up and left, thanking them.

"Glad that's over." Fred said. "I just think we could have used the catapult trap instead of the net, I mean, it-"

"Oh, stop it, Freddie." Daphne said. "The net was enough, it just got a bit messy."

"Thanks, Daphne. For saving me." Velma said.

"Never mind it, Velma! Isn't this what teammates do?"

"Yes…"

"Now, me and Freddie should probably go and… get the Mystery Machine ready, you two take your time, okay? Come on, Scooby." Daphne grabbed Fred and left, with Scooby following happily.

"Are you sure you're, like, okay?" Shaggy asked awkwardly.

"Yes, I'm sure."

"'Cause, you know, that guy was heavy and he, like, fell on you, and-"

"No, I'm okay. My legs felt a bit wiggly at first, but now I'm alright. Thanks for the rescue."

"What rescue? Did you think we'd, like, leave you there?"

"No, no."

"And, for the record, you were, like, very brave, back in there."

"I think I learnt from the best living bait!" She said, grinning widely.

"Oh, thanks!" He smiled goofily, but his smiled faded quickly. "Velma, what did he mean when he said you could have had everything?"

"Oh, don't mind him. He asked me to run away with him."

"What? Really?"

"Yes. He said I understood why he did what he did and he liked me and wanted us to go live the 'book lover' life." Velma laughed but Shaggy seemed grumpy. "What is it? It's quite funny, actually."

"Did you, like, consider his offer?"

"Are you crazy? Of course not."

"But, wouldn't you like a, like, book lover life?"

"Yes, in the same logic, I'd like a princess life, but I can't have one. I don't know what I want. I'm just starting to figure it out. See where life has taken me? I'm roaming around the country solving crimes, when I thought I'd be working in a lab somewhere. And yet, I'm happy and satisfied with it."

"It just seemed like you two, like, hit it off, you know."

"Shaggy… you're not being jealous, are you?" She half-smiled.

"Me? No, like…"

"Look, you and I need to have a… little talk, don't we?"

"I suppose."

"But this is not the time. It's late, we're both tired and it's been a long day. Let us sleep over it, alright?"

"Yes, but, Velma… Are you sure?"

"I've never been more certain."

They walked back to the van in silence.

X

Velma was surprised at how early she had woken up. The sun was barely starting to light up the sky, but she felt like she had slept for hours and hours. She slipped into her silk robe, put on her flip flops and silently opened the door, stepping outside. No one was in the sitting room, or the kitchen corner, and she wasn't expecting to find anyone either. She grabbed a cup from the cupboard in the kitchen and poured some ice tea in it.

Velma thought it'd be nice to watch the sunrise, since she was up so early. Besides, it was quite warm in the room, and maybe a little breeze would do her good. She slid the balcony door open and went outside. She saw Shaggy standing by the railing.

"Shaggy? What the hell?"

"Good morning to you too…"

Velma laughed. "Excuse me, I just didn't expect you to be up so early." She sat on a sunbed.

"Well, me neither. I didn't sleep much either."

"Oh, poor you. Did you have breakfast?"

"Yes, but just the usual, like, some coffee, two sandwiches, two fried eggs, three pieces of cakes and a muffin, nothing much."

"Boy do you have an appetite!"

"I know. But what are you, like, doing up at this hour? Shouldn't you sleep a bit more?"

"Nah, I'm fine. You know, now that we're both up and the rest are still sleeping, we might have that talk we left last night." She took a sip from her ice tea.

"Uh, uh, eh, yeah, sure." He sat on the second sunbed and placed his hands on his knees. "So…"

"Let's take it from the beginning, okay?"

"Yup."

"You and I are friends. I support you and you support me."

"You got that right."

"Although we are different, and, quite a lot, really, we get along just fine. We have fun together and I know that I can trust you with anything. Do you agree so far?"

"Yeah! I feel like I can talk to you about anything…"

"That's great. So, I need to ask you something, and I want you to be honest."

"I'm always honest with my friends." He smiled lightly.

"I know. And here's the question. Have you been feeling anything… strange lately? Considering myself, that is?"

He turned his look down. "Yeah…"

"Can you please describe it to me?"

"Um…" He swallowed. "I… I think you're , like, very pretty and very clever, and although you are cleverer than, well, most of us, you're very nice and a good friend. Lately I, like, noticed that I'm somehow –how to put it- more attracted to you than I used to be and when you, like, were with Maxwell, I think I got a bit jealous. I, like, wanted to be the one taking you out for pizza and stuff and have you spend time with me and all these things you do when you're, like, dating someone… So, um, what I want to, like, say is that… I think I like you."

Shaggy lifted his eyes to her, to see her smiling goofily as well, clutching her cup. He didn't know what to make of it. "Um, will you tell me about you now? Please?"

"Sure, although I don't know if I can put it as well as you did." She took a deep breath. "I've always been captivated by you, because you were different and very funny and interesting. The other day, when we were at the library, and a little before that, I think I… Oh, lord, I can't describe it." She giggled. "I've always been so good with words, and now my words are failing me! Anyway." She took a deep breath again. "I noticed how you looked at me. And I liked it, because I've looked at you the same way, when you weren't looking, obviously. I also noticed how subtly you tried to flirt with me and it made me feel weird, in my stomach, and I enjoyed it, in a way. That intimacy, you know. So…" She stood up and went to sit on his sunbed, making him almost jump a little. "I think I like you too."

Shaggy grinned at her. "I can't believe it! I thought you'd, like, never like someone like me!"

"I should be the one saying that! You're tall and athletic and funny, and well, I'm nerdy and short and not very energetic, but…"

"That's how it is, Velma! The question is what we, like, do now?"

"Do you think we can make it work? This 'us' thing?"

"I think we can, like, try. Since I like you and you like me, there's no point in, like, sitting around doing nothing about it, 'cause it'd be, like, awkward and silly."

"Yes, I agree."

"So, will you, like, be my girlfriend?"

"If you'll be my boyfriend."

"Oh, I will!"

"And we can take it slow. See how it goes, right?"

"Right."

"Then it's set. We're dating."

"We're dating!"

Velma smiled, putting her cup down.

"Can I…?" Shaggy asked, lifting his hand and Velma nodded. He placed his arm over her shoulders and laid back, Velma falling on his chest. He supported his chin on the crown of her head and she giggled.

"You know, this is, like, nice…"

"Yes it is. And please don't forget that I'm still your friend, okay? We'll talk about everything."

"Of course."

Velma supported herself on him and lifted her head, locking eyes with Shaggy. A playful grin spread over her face as she slowly crawled upwards. Shaggy's eyes widened and his eyebrows shot up. He didn't know whether to be excited or nervous, as his mind was totally blank at the moment. Soon she was very close, and he could actually feel her breath on his lips. Next thing he knew, their lips were touching, and she was tenderly pecking him. Instinctively, he placed his hand on the small of her back and kissed her back.

Velma decided to let go for once, and allowed herself to deepen and enjoy the kiss. He was really good, and she found new things waking up in her. It felt strange, and unprecedented, like she was walking in uncharted territory but, this time, it didn't matter that she didn't know where she was going, or how.

For Shaggy, the kiss made his mind flood with millions of different colors. He realized he had actually dreamt about it quite a lot and now it was, well, real. She tasted sweet, sweeter than the best dessert he'd ever had, and he knew he'd never get bored of this particular taste.

What made Velma and Shaggy pull away and turn to look at the door was the bright flash of a camera. Daphne was standing there, with the camera in her hands, smiling ecstatically.

"This is perfect!" She said. "I knew it! I knew it!" She squirmed and stormed inside.

"And now it gets awkward…" Velma said, sitting up again. Shaggy simply smiled and nodded. Scooby ran outside and jumped on the sunbed.

"Did rou tell rer?" He asked, looking at Shaggy.

"Yes, Scooby, he told me." Velma replied, stroking his back. "And I told him too. Thanks for convincing me."

"He did what?" Shaggy asked.

"Scooby and I had a small chat yesterday, and he convinced me that I should go talk to you. He's very persuasive, you know."

"Oh, I do!"

Velma laughed and Scooby barked happily.

***A/N: That was it, fellas! The end of this short story! I hope it wasn't disappointing or too sappy. I didn't want to go for something too lovey-dovey, because they should discover their feelings slowly, like it's supposed to be. **

**I apologize for any typos and if the story sucked, especially the 'crime'. I did my best, I just didn't know what else to do with it. Heh.**

**All in all, I hope it was worth your time, and thank you to all who review! Please tell me how you find it, I'm dying to know!**

**I'll 'close' this story now, but please tell me if you'd like to see an epilogue with, um… let's say a one-year anniversary date or something. If you do, I'll write one and post it.**

**Thanks again to everyone. **

**Maven Alazais***


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